Intimacy coordinators, who serve as advocates and liaisons for actors in scenes involving nudity and simulated sex, have officially joined the ranks of SAG-AFTRA following a National Labor Relations Board vote.
The vote, tallied earlier today, passed with unanimous approval, marking a significant moment for these professionals within the entertainment industry.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher praised the unionization, stating, “In these sobering times with looming threats to environmental protections and women’s equality, it is refreshing to see the entertainment industry’s recognition of intimacy coordinators and their important contribution to productions and to performers in intimate scenes. We at SAG-AFTRA are proud to include this esteemed group of trained professionals as the newest to join our member body.”
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, highlighted the union’s work since 2019 in supporting intimacy coordinators. “Now, five years later, they’ve taken the important step of empowering themselves with union representation! All of us at SAG-AFTRA look forward to working together with them to negotiate a first contract with the AMPTP,” he said.
The Organizing Committee, representing the newly unionized intimacy coordinators, expressed enthusiasm for the vote’s results. “Finally, intimacy coordinators are on the path to enjoying the same union benefits and protections that sustain and nurture other entertainment industry workers,” the committee stated, calling on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to commence contract negotiations.
This move reinforces SAG-AFTRA’s commitment to securing protections for entertainment professionals across roles. The union, which includes roughly 160,000 members spanning actors, broadcast journalists, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and more, continues to champion fair working conditions and industry standards.
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